


From Up On Camelot Hill

by Wreck



Series: 20 fics in 20 days [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-07
Updated: 2014-03-07
Packaged: 2018-01-14 21:44:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1279918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wreck/pseuds/Wreck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Merlin had first come to the small village of Camelot, the fluttering banner had immediately caught his attention.</p>
            </blockquote>





	From Up On Camelot Hill

**Author's Note:**

> Partially inspired by "From Up On Poppy Hill." 
> 
> Un Beta'd. All mistakes are mine.

The red and gold flag was raised on the hill every morning as the village woke. Sometimes, if Merlin had been out all night picking herbs by moonlight for Gaius, he would see the flag rise as he made his way through the still quiet marketplace. The flag always intrigued him, but on these mornings, seeing it slowly rise up the pole, he also wondered who it was raising the flag, and what it meant.

When Merlin had first come to the small village of Camelot, the fluttering banner had immediately caught his attention. He began to ask his friends, those who had grown up in the village, what they knew about it.

“Oh that,” Gaius dismissed. “Been flying for years. If I remember correctly, it was the banner of the Pendragon house.”

“The Pendragons used to own the whole village,” Gwen told Merlin as she was hanging out her washing to dry. “My grandmother used to work in their house, but that was before they lost everything.”

“When Uther Pendragon went off to war, the village never recovered,” Will complained, as he staked the crates outside of the tavern. “And ever since then, well,” Will waved his arm behind him to indicate the state of the village. 

“If Uther’s gone, who's raising the flag,” Merlin asked one morning as he was gathering roots with Freya.

“What?” Freya asked, caught off guard by Merlin’s sudden change of subject. 

“The flag on the hill,” Merlin said as if it should be obvious. 

“Merlin, you’ve been here for over a year. How are you still curious about that flag?” 

“How are you not? It raises every morning, and every night it’s lowered. Someone’s doing that. Why? What does it mean?”

“Maybe it doesn’t mean anything. Maybe it’s just the tradition,” Freya suggested, returning to her basket of roots. 

“Maybe,” Merlin mumbled, reluctantly pulling his eyes away from the flash of red on the horizon. 

 

“You know, I think Uther had a son,” Gaius said conversationally that evening.

“What?” Merlin asked, stunned that he’d never heard this piece of gossip before. 

“Yes, I’m sure of it, now that I think about it,” Gaius continued. “I honestly don’t know what happened to him after Uther left, but he could still be up at the manor.”

“Do you think he’s the one raising the flag? Does it mean something?”

Gaius studied Merlin for a long moment. “You know, you could always just go up the hill,” he said finally. 

Merlin blinked. 

“Merlin, in this whole village you’re the only one who even notices that that old flag still flies. You should go up the hill. You should find your answers.”

 

When Merlin reached the crest of the hill, the manor house that came into view was old and crumbling and overgrown with weeds. But it wasn’t deserted; Merlin could see signs of life. And for the first time, he really saw the flag. From down in the village, he could never quite make out the splash of gold. Up close, he saw a full dragon perched in the center, large and winged.

Mesmerized, he stared up at the flag, rooted to the spot.

“What are you doing here?” A voice demanded behind him. “What do you want?”

Merlin turned around and had to squint at the figure haloed in the morning sun.

“I just,” Merlin stammered. “The flag.”

The figure stepped closer and Merlin could finally make out his features: messy blonde hair, piercing eyes, and a strong jaw. Merlin’s breath hitched.

“You came because of the flag,” he asked and Merlin nodded as he continued, “They said it would bring…”

Merlin took a step forward and couldn’t help but ask, “What? What would it bring?”

“They said it would send a message. That it would bring him to me,” he said, shaking his head like a dog coming out of water. “I thought they meant my father, but maybe I had it wrong…”

Merlin was drawn towards the other man, and suddenly they were both in each other’s space.

“Arthur,” the other man said, reaching out to touch Merlin. “My name’s Arthur Pendragon.”

Merlin felt a jolt go through him at Arthur’s touch. “I’m Merlin,” he said. “And I think I got your message.”

**Author's Note:**

> part of a challenge i'm doing called 40 fics in 40 days, where i have to write at least one 500 word fic a day.


End file.
